Vampires in some form have been around forever. In Greek mythology there was Mormo, an ancient form of the boogey man who bit bad children. Empusa, also from Greek myth, seduced men, drank their blood, and ate their flesh. Lami also was said to eat children — sometimes her own.

A quick search on the Internet will turn up vampires (or vampire-like creatures) from across time and continents. The idea of some dark and scary monster that feeds on the flesh or blood of humans seems to cross all boundaries.

Because of that, I can’t imagine them ever going away. They seem to be hard-wired into us.

I think the bigger question is why and how in the last century we have managed to romanticize them.

Vampires are dead which equals cold and pale.

They have sharp, unsightly teeth and they crave blood — human blood.

There is nothing on the surface that would make them anything except a horror-movie villain, but somehow we, in our safe modern world, have made them into something more tragic than horrific and more fascinating than repulsive.

We see them as wounded and feel for everything they lost when they were turned, frequently against their will. Although a vampire is seldom weak, we see them as much a victim as the last body they drained.

Their magnetism gives them mystery and their inability to die added dimension.

A vampire as hero appeals to the dream that there is good in everyone and everything no matter how horrific their crimes may appear to be. They give us hope that anyone can be saved if we just love them enough.

So if vampires are the monster most hard-wired into us to fear, vampires as heroes are our way of hoping those monsters don’t exist at all — not really.

Because deep down, there is good in everyone.

And isn’t that what we all really want to believe?

Lori Devoti is the multi-published author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, including numerous stories that feature vampires as heroes and villains. To learn more about her books, visit her web site at http://www.loridevoti.com/. While there, don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter—for news on her books and the occasional free book just for subscribing.